Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi held discussions on Wednesday with the party’s Lok Sabha MPs regarding the Congress Party’s position on the upcoming Waqf Amendment Bill.
The meeting was attended by Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and senior Congress MPs such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, and K Suresh, among others. The primary focus was on formulating a strategy to strongly articulate the party’s stance on the bill.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram emphasized the religious and voluntary nature of waqf properties, urging the government to respect sensitivities rather than push the bill solely based on its parliamentary majority. He criticized the ruling party’s approach, stating, “The government should be aware of and respect religious sensitivities. They should not pass the law just because they have the numbers or to send a signal to their core vote bank, which may not fully grasp the nuances of waqf land. The misconception that waqf can claim any land is incorrect… They will likely succeed because of their majority.”
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi staged a protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill at Makar Dwar. Wearing a black kurta and holding a placard that read, “Reject Waqf Bill,” he expressed his opposition ahead of the bill’s scheduled tabling in Parliament.
Congress MP K Suresh reaffirmed the INDIA bloc’s collective opposition to the bill, stating, “The entire opposition stands against this bill. Our representatives in the Joint Parliamentary Committee have also decided to oppose it. Yesterday, INDIA bloc leaders unanimously resolved to reject the Waqf Amendment Bill.”
Congress’ Khaleequr Rahman accused the Union government of handling the matter in an unconstitutional manner. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav reiterated his party’s firm opposition to the proposed amendments, calling them “dictatorial and unconstitutional.”
“We have opposed this bill from the start. The amendments are dictatorial and unconstitutional. While the government may use its majority to push it through, we want discussions so that the country understands what is happening,” Yadav told ANI.
